13-15 April, 2008, Novohrad-Volynskiy (Zhytomyr region): Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) gathered the focal points of the projects its supports in Ukraine, including the sub-project of UNDP-led “Municipal Governance and Community Empowerment Programme”, to discuss issues of gender mainstreaming into the projects and programmes, provide training to the gender focal points, plan future activities and present the results of independent gender audit of the projects organized by SDC in 2007-2008.
The meeting of gender focal points of all SDC-supported projects was organized by the Gender Coordination Council created by SDC within the activities on gender mainstreaming of the projects and SDC activities in Ukraine. This meeting took place in Novohrad-Volynskiy (Zhytomyr region) which is one of the partner municipalities of the UNDP-led “Municipal Governance and Community Empowerment Programme”. The sub-project “Promoting Conditions of Participatory Governance and Development in Urban Ukraine” has been implemented within the framework of this Programme under SDC support since 2005.
During the meeting, the participants listened to the presentations on SDC strategy of gender mainstreaming (by Lyudmyla NESTRYLYAY), human rights based approach (by Andriy KAVAKIN), legal aspects of equal rights and opportunities (by Ella LAMAKH), gender analysis and its usage for gender mainstreaming (by Olena SUSLOVA), interactive tools for gender focal points (by Natalia KOSTYUK), women’s discrimination in media (by Oksana KISS) and other important gender-related issues.
Also, presentations were made on the cases of concrete SDC-supported projects and their experience of practical gender mainstreaming, in particular the “Swiss-Ukrainian Forest Development Project in Transcarpathia” (by Natalia KULYK) and the sub-project of the UNDP-led “Municipal Governance and Community Empowerment Programme” (by Olena URSU). These two presentations aimed to convince the participants in the fact that gender issues must be addressed not only in the projects with direct gender mandate, but in all thematic projects, in order to observe the basic human rights and good governance principles.
In course of the meeting, Mr. Ueli MULLER, SDC Country Director, and Mrs. Olena SUSLOVA, Head of the Gender Coordination Council, presented the results of the independent gender audit organized I 2007-2008 for all SDC-supported projects. As it was announced, after reviewing the projects documentation, workplans, budgets, operational manuals and guidelines (I stage of the gender audit), interaction with the project implementation team members (II stage of the gender audit) and meetings with the projects’ local stakeholders and beneficiaries (III stage of the gender audit), the independent gender experts involved for this exercise made their conclusions and recommendations for all the projects. UNDP/MGCEP was one of the projects which received the certificate concluding that the project corresponds to the SDC basic requirements on gender mainstreaming in the overall project activities.
“These certificates are not a reward, since it is not something given forever. They show that at this stage the project is in line with our basic requirements on gender mainstreaming, but they should be considered by the project team as a stimulus for further observance of gender equality principles in cooperation with the project’s stakeholders in order to improve achievement of its main thematic objectives”, said Mr. Ueli MULLER, SDC Country Director.
Representatives of Novohrad-Volynskiy City Council also presented its achievements of the local policy on gender and gender mainstreaming intro the municipal projects and programmes, including the activities on raising public awareness on gender, preparing thematic publications and research “Gender Portrait of Novohrad-Volynskiy”, providing trainings to the target groups of the local stakeholders on gender issues etc.
“We treat gender as an important subject of dialogue and practical work at local level. And we are glad that what we are doing here in the municipality is in line with the vision of international donors like SDC and UNDP”, said Valentyna TYTYANEVYCH, Deputy Mayor, thanking the SDC for the letter of recognition of the City Council’s achievements in terms of gender mainstreaming into the municipal programmes and projects.
For more details and for getting the presentation of MGCEP on its experience of gender mainstreaming of the project activities, please contact Mrs. Olena URSU, UNDP/MGCEP Monitoring and Communications Expert, by tel. (067) 290 36 42 or via e-mail: olena.ursu@undp.org.ua
During the meeting, the participants listened to the presentations on SDC strategy of gender mainstreaming (by Lyudmyla NESTRYLYAY), human rights based approach (by Andriy KAVAKIN), legal aspects of equal rights and opportunities (by Ella LAMAKH), gender analysis and its usage for gender mainstreaming (by Olena SUSLOVA), interactive tools for gender focal points (by Natalia KOSTYUK), women’s discrimination in media (by Oksana KISS) and other important gender-related issues.
Also, presentations were made on the cases of concrete SDC-supported projects and their experience of practical gender mainstreaming, in particular the “Swiss-Ukrainian Forest Development Project in Transcarpathia” (by Natalia KULYK) and the sub-project of the UNDP-led “Municipal Governance and Community Empowerment Programme” (by Olena URSU). These two presentations aimed to convince the participants in the fact that gender issues must be addressed not only in the projects with direct gender mandate, but in all thematic projects, in order to observe the basic human rights and good governance principles.
In course of the meeting, Mr. Ueli MULLER, SDC Country Director, and Mrs. Olena SUSLOVA, Head of the Gender Coordination Council, presented the results of the independent gender audit organized I 2007-2008 for all SDC-supported projects. As it was announced, after reviewing the projects documentation, workplans, budgets, operational manuals and guidelines (I stage of the gender audit), interaction with the project implementation team members (II stage of the gender audit) and meetings with the projects’ local stakeholders and beneficiaries (III stage of the gender audit), the independent gender experts involved for this exercise made their conclusions and recommendations for all the projects. UNDP/MGCEP was one of the projects which received the certificate concluding that the project corresponds to the SDC basic requirements on gender mainstreaming in the overall project activities.
“These certificates are not a reward, since it is not something given forever. They show that at this stage the project is in line with our basic requirements on gender mainstreaming, but they should be considered by the project team as a stimulus for further observance of gender equality principles in cooperation with the project’s stakeholders in order to improve achievement of its main thematic objectives”, said Mr. Ueli MULLER, SDC Country Director.
Representatives of Novohrad-Volynskiy City Council also presented its achievements of the local policy on gender and gender mainstreaming intro the municipal projects and programmes, including the activities on raising public awareness on gender, preparing thematic publications and research “Gender Portrait of Novohrad-Volynskiy”, providing trainings to the target groups of the local stakeholders on gender issues etc.
“We treat gender as an important subject of dialogue and practical work at local level. And we are glad that what we are doing here in the municipality is in line with the vision of international donors like SDC and UNDP”, said Valentyna TYTYANEVYCH, Deputy Mayor, thanking the SDC for the letter of recognition of the City Council’s achievements in terms of gender mainstreaming into the municipal programmes and projects.
For more details and for getting the presentation of MGCEP on its experience of gender mainstreaming of the project activities, please contact Mrs. Olena URSU, UNDP/MGCEP Monitoring and Communications Expert, by tel. (067) 290 36 42 or via e-mail: olena.ursu@undp.org.ua
